


Surprise Me With Something New

by bramble28



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 04:32:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16947057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bramble28/pseuds/bramble28
Summary: Roman and Dean have been friends for years, and now they’ve added Hana and her loyal dog to their friend group after a seasonal job brings them together. When chaos throws Hana’s life up in the air the guys go into protection mode, and Hana finds she can safely land with her new friends. As Christmas approaches things get a little complicated. Dean and Hana were never expecting these feelings to creep up on them but well, here they are…





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as part (day 11) of @toxiicpop 's #wwe 25 days of chrismuts, #christmuts 2k18, over on tumblr.

“Dammit Roman!” Hana screeched as she reached up onto the platform he had just collapsed on, panting. He rolled onto his side and graced her frustration with a wide and triumphant grin. Hana scrambled to haul her lean body all the way up onto the solid finish platform high in the trees. Once up, she kneeled and whacked him in the chest. Roman chuckled at her good naturedly and rolled flat onto his back. Hana collapsed right beside him, knees in the air, arms wrapped around her stomach. They both spent a couple of minutes catching their breath. Looking up through the tree canopy they could see the leaves had turned brilliant shades ranging from yellow to red. The weakened early November sun was still peeking through spots where the leaves had thinned out. 

When Hana could talk again she turned to him with furrowed brows and pursed lips. “It’s because you’re so much freaking taller you know! I would have you beat if you were 5’4 too!”

He turned his head to look back at her, mimicking her facial expression. “Maybe you should be faster then,” Roman shot at her breaking into another grin. She huffed at him, though her expression softened.

“All summer I’ve been working my ass off and I still, still can’t beat you!” She rolled her eyes and sighed harshly. She wasn’t mad at all, just frustrated at her growing list of seeming shortcomings. She sat up on the platform, a look of determination on her face. “That’s it. I’m working out all winter and when we get back here, I _will_ beat you through this course.” 

“You can try,” Roman teased her, sitting up. 

“No! I _will_! I can do it! You can bet on that Reigns.” Hana gave him a smug look and continued, accentuating each of her next words with a solid poke to his chest. “Bet. On. It.” 

“So, you’re definitely coming back next year then?” he questioned a bit more anxiously than he would have liked. He hadn’t been excited to think that his friend would be leaving and might not be coming back. They had become a great team.

“Yeah. I’m not sure I’m actually leaving at all. I may just stay here all winter. Nick and I are going to keep the apartment I guess.” Hana pulled her blond hair out of the ponytail it was in and ruffled it as it settled over her shoulders, her brusque movements betraying her feelings on that situation. Shaking the anxious feelings creeping up on her she added pretentiously, “More time to practice so I can finally beat the Big Dog.” 

Roman rolled his eyes at her use of one of his nicknames. “Well, in that case, since you’re so determined,” he paused to fix her green eyes with his own brown ones, trying desperately not to frown at her reaction to his question, “You can, and you will.” 

From the end of April through this first weekend of November, Roman and Hana had spent eight to ten hours guiding and coaching tourists through an adventure course suspended in the trees in upstate New York. The brochures boasted a pristine Adirondack forest in a quaint lake town. Thankfully the frigid weather and snow held off and they were able to get in a few nice weekend days, mostly with locals who visited after the summer rush. This though had been closing day, and their last race of the season.

Once the tourists were gone for the day and the adventure park closed, employees were welcomed to stay. The Hardy’s trusted them to keep their park in order, and their guests safe. A job offer at the Hardy Extreme Aerial Adventure Park required a background in physical activity, customer service, and general impeccable references. Their employees were mostly college kids on summer break or twenty-somethings looking for a side stop before figuring out what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. The several aerial courses of increasing intensity were challenging, and actually climbing and maneuvering over the courses instead of guiding tourists was good for burning off any built-up steam from the day. The aerial courses were part of a bigger park that included zip lines of varying intensities and climbing walls to satisfy the adrenaline seeking guests. 

Roman and Hana spent many evenings traversing the rustic rope and board bridges, swinging platforms, climbing segments, and various other imaginative obstacles the Hardy family had engineered. At some point Roman and Hana had started racing through the tandem segments of the courses. They had been in friendly competition since mid Summer. Hana could never quite seem to get the edge over Roman, and if she even thought he was holding back he would definitely hear about it. 

Roman’s best friend Dean also worked at the park, running the ziplines. Both Roman and Dean had second jobs in town at Foley’s General Store, using their paychecks from both to keep up on rent in their shared apartment. Winters were tough in the region and taking shifts at the general store meant they could afford to stay year-round. Roman could rely on his parents still sending him unsolicited chunks of money to help with his expenses, and so was able to work fewer hours. Dean wasn’t so lucky, and had chosen to leave what remained of his family behind. He frequently found himself sending money back to his mother in Ohio to help her out. Roman would have been happy to share but Dean was stubborn and insisted on not taking any “handouts”. 

Dean’s schedule at the store meant he missed out on most of the friendly competition at the Hardy’s after closing time, and also the near nightly outings at the local dive bar the tourists avoided. Hana had heard he could be a bit of a wild card, and on the occasion where Dean had managed to go out with the rest of the group, never failed to stir things up a fair bit. Sometimes that meant having a few too many drinks and fighting some random local. Sometimes that meant shamelessly flirting with the girls, which either got him slapped or laid. Either way, Hana knew from Roman that Dean Ambrose was a loyal friend. If he loved the squirrely man that was all she needed to know in order to like him. 

When Hana had first arrived in the Spring for training with the other new employees she had been assigned to be Roman’s partner. He was tall and handsome, impressively built, and had gorgeous long hair he kept tightly up in a bun while they worked. His beautiful skin only grew more tan with sun exposure, unlike Hana’s which just burned. She had definitely noticed how gorgeous he was, she wasn’t dead after all, but they grew close as friends and Hana had been in a relationship with another man for the past three years. 

Hana was planning to stay in a motel until she left for home at the end of Fall. Nick had decided to surprise her by quitting his job in their home state and renting an apartment for them in the town where Hana was working. He hadn’t bothered to find any steady work since he moved, so Hana had ended up paying for the apartment anyway. She had intended to stay in New York by herself, to see how that felt. She felt suffocated back home and needed some space and time to figure things out. When she had stumbled across this job opportunity online late one night, after yet another fight with Nick, she applied without hesitating. Nick had been furious with her when she scored an interview and had to travel to New York, leaving him behind. The only upside of Nick moving up north was that he brought Hana’s dog, Argo. 

Argo had been the one being Hana could count on to be a constant in her life, until she met Roman. The shepherd mix had shown up in the yard in front of her and Nick’s old apartment two years ago. He was a bit skinny, needed a bath, and had trust issues. Hana took him in, after some resistance from her boyfriend, and the dog quickly became her shadow. He was guarded, yet calm, with most strangers. She had tried to find his owner for weeks, hoping the whole time that no one came forward for him. With good food, brushing and playtime, Argo quickly decided Hana was his person. Argo and Nick coexisted but neither really enjoyed the other’s company. Once the dog filled out and his rich tan-colored double coat was in proper health, he was a beautiful animal. Black shading on his muzzle, ears, and over his eyes, stood out against his lighter brown coat, which faded to a light tan on his chest and belly. He was 90 pounds of leggy lean muscle due to many hikes with Hana, where his triangle prick ears heard every rustle in the brush. Argo’s main job, as far as he was concerned, was keeping Hana safe and warding off monsters of all sorts. 

When Argo met Roman they were immediate friends. Nick and Roman however were oil and water from their first meeting. They had exchanged pleasantries but something just felt off. A little too tense. 

So when Roman’s phone rang at 3 am one morning he wasn’t surprised to see Hana’s name on his cellphone screen.


	2. Chapter 2

Roman picked up his phone, squinting at the bright screen in the dark. Hana’s name scrawled across the screen and he noted that he had only been asleep for about one hour before her call. He swiped his finger quickly across the screen, sitting up in bed to answer the call, his voice a little scratchy, “Hello, Hana?”

 

“Roman! I am _so_ sorry for calling you this late. I didn’t know who else to call,” Hana rushed out. “He’s _gone_! He’s gone and I can’t find him. I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find Argo!” She paused before continuing with a quiet voice, “Things got really screwed up here.”

 

The despondency in her voice made Roman swing his legs over the side of his bed, sitting up straighter, suddenly wide awake in response. He had dropped Hana off at her apartment a couple of hours ago. She had been fine when he left her, if maybe a little sad that some of their work friends would be leaving for home. He reached up and rubbed his eyes with his free hand, trying to shake the bad feeling he was getting.

 

“Ok, ok. Hold up baby girl. Slow down,” Roman responded, trying to keep a calm tone. ”What happened?”

 

He heard Hana struggle on the other end of the line to start her response. She sniffled a little and he heard her repress a sob. Before she could even continue Roman stood up and began feeling around for his pants.

 

“Are you ok? What’s going on?” he pressed.

 

“When I got home Nick was waiting up for me. I swear I’m such an idiot! He started accusing me of staying out all night just to get away from him. He demanded to know which guy I was sleeping with at work since I want to go out and have fun all the time,” Hana spilled out. “We got in a huge fight. He shoved me,” she confessed her voice faltering as she started to cry.

 

“Jesus, fuck. Where is he?” Roman demanded, knowing full well this wasn’t the first time that degenerate had put his hands on his friend. He was fully dressed and heading out of his room. He saw light from the living room and knew Dean was awake, used to his strange hours. Roman grabbed his sneakers, motioning to Dean to get up from the couch and pointing at his shoes by the door. Hana still hadn’t answered him.

 

“Hana. Where is he?” Roman grabbed his keys from the small table, and his coat from the hook, by the door.

 

Dean had gotten up to get his shoes, not even questioning Roman’s silent request. He halted momentarily when he realized who Roman was speaking to and hearing his concerned yet steady tone. He shot the bigger man a questioning look, blue eyes narrowing a bit. Roman shook his head before tilting it in the direction of the door. He walked out, heading to his car, knowing Dean was right behind him throwing on his leather jacket.  

 

Hana sniffled a bit, taking a deep breath. “He left. He threw his stuff in bags and he left.”

 

“And Argo?”

 

“When Nick shoved me Argo grabbed his arm. He didn’t really bite him, just held him and growled. Nick grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him outside. He screamed at him that he was a bad dog. I’ve been out looking for him over a half hour,” Hana’s voice caught, panic tightening her throat. “He won’t come when I call. What if he gets hit by a car?!”

 

“Are you home now?”

 

“Yeah. I had to come back for my phone. I rushed out to find the dog without it as soon as Nick peeled out of the driveway.”

 

“Stay inside. Lock the door. We’ll be there in five.”

  


Hana sat on her couch waiting for Roman and, she assumed, Dean to arrive. Her mind was racing in so many directions she felt dizzy. And tired. She was so _tired_. As much fun as this whole summer had been at the park it had been hell at home. Her relationship with Nick had started off great and she had thought she loved him, but that was years ago, before the yelling, before he verbally beat her down, and before he first bruised her skin. She had felt more like his possession than his girlfriend. Hana knew she needed to end their relationship but she wasn’t sure how. She had forgotten how to be herself without him. She spent months before she left home in Spring convincing herself she had the strength to move on, and coming to New York had been a test of her will. Nick’s move north had been just one more way for him to keep tabs on her. It wasn’t until he showed up to “surprise” her that Hana realized how detached she had become. She wasn’t even sure why she agreed to move in to the new apartment with him. They fought all summer, Hana defending herself and her actions constantly, and Nick blaming her “selfish” move for all of their issues. And now Argo was missing, and she was sure that was her fault too.   

 

Hana snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of a car pulling in the drive and two car doors slamming shut. She jumped up off the couch and ran to the door. Peering out the peep-hole she saw Roman and Dean quickly walking up the steps. She opened the door before they reached it and ran straight into Roman’s arms.

 

“You’re ok. You’re good,” Roman murmured into her hair as she pressed her face against his chest. Dean stood close by, staring at the ground, shuffling his feet, and puffing his cheeks out and releasing then with a small burst of air. The three of them stayed that way for a minute before Roman carefully took Hana’s upper arms in his hands leaning her back. Hana winced even through his gentleness and he immediately let her go. She bit her bottom lip for a second before drawing in a ragged breath.

 

“I’m sorry. I think there might be bruises. He squeezed really hard as he shoved me,” she explained, tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

 

“No more apologies.” Roman lightly shook his head at her, disgusted by how his friend had been treated. That asshole better not show his face again if he valued his personal safety.

 

“Fucking dirtbag. Better not show up again,” Dean mumbled angrily, echoing Roman’s thoughts in his words. He peered at Hana through his sandy brown bangs, hoping he was conveying that she was safe now. His fists clenched tightly at his sides.

 

“Now,” said Roman, wiping some tears from Hana’s cheek with his thumbs, “we have a dog to find.”

 

They searched the area with flashlights for another half hour. Roman insisted that Hana stay with him as they searched in case Nick decided to return. Dean wandered off on his own, looking through the neighbors’ yards for a block down the road, trying to think of where he would hide if he were a scared dog. As he was heading back toward Hana’s apartment he passed by a deck on the back of a house. He stopped and knelt down. Scanning underneath the deck his flashlight swept across tan fur. He pulled the light back to focus on Argo, eyes shining green in the light, laying on the ground in the dirt under the deck. He looked wary, but not terrified. His eyes bore into Dean’s leaving the man feeling slightly intimidated. Dean moved the flashlight beam to the side and out of Argo’s eyes.

 

“Hey mutt. C’mon out. Time t’ go home.” Dean beckoned with his hand in a soft backward waving motion. Argo didn’t move a muscle. Didn’t blink. Dean recognized distrust when he saw it. He crouched down a little lower, withdrawing his hand. Roman had filled him in on what happened after he had dropped Hana off earlier that night during the short car ride. He recalled that Argo was told he was a _bad dog_ before being tossed out into the cold a short time ago. Not in my opinion, he thought. Seems like a bad dog wouldn’t try to protect someone he loved.

 

Using the softest tone he could muster with his gravelly voice he called to the dog again. “C’mon out now. You’re a good boy. Good dog.” Argo shifted in the spot where he was laying. He seemed to be considering whether he should go to Dean or stay put. “I mean, y’ gotta be hungry or something, right? Want a cookie? Good dogs get cookies.” The affirmation that _good dogs get cookies_ seemed to get Argo unstuck from his spot and he crawled on his belly out from under the deck. He still regarded Dean with a wary eye but he allowed the tall man to take his collar and lead him through the neighbors’ backyards. Once back at Hana’s house Dean sat on the step. Holding Argo’s collar with one hand he took his phone out of his jacket pocket with the other and texted Roman.   

 

_Got him_

 

A minute later Hana ran up the sidewalk in front of her house, Roman jogging easily a short way behind her. Argo strained excitedly against Dean’s hold on his collar until he released him when Hana was close enough. The dog ran at Hana and crashed into her legs in a flurry of fur, his tail  wagging furiously. She praised him and pet him until he calmed down enough to stand by her side, his large head pressed into her outer thigh.

 

“Thank you Dean. I don’t know what I would have done.” Hana glanced up and locked eyes with Dean. The gratefulness in her gaze all the thanks he even needed. He nodded briefly before looking away.

 

“Alright, everyone inside. It’s freezing out here,” Roman pointed out. Dean stood up and Roman clapped him on the shoulder, momentarily gripping, “Nice job, uce.”  

  


Things seemed to settle down after that night. Each day found Hana gathering more peace for herself, and slowly the heaviness of tiptoeing around her own life started to dissipate. She realized that she had long ago detached and grieved her and Nick’s relationship. She was surprised at the relief she felt that Nick was gone, and how easy it was to navigate life on her own after being burdened by him for so long. It left her and Argo free to do as they pleased. There was no one to answer to. This meant that they spent a great deal of time with Roman and Dean, either at her apartment or theirs, where Argo was always welcome.

 

The three humans arranged to have movie night every Friday after Dean and Roman were done working at the general store. They would stock up on snacks and pile onto the couch, or sometimes a blanket on the floor when they ran out of room. Argo would choose which spot to settle into based on how much of his large furry body he could cuddle up to Hana. If he was within arms reach he could always depend on Roman or Dean offering absent-minded scratches as they watched the movie.    

 

Hana spent Thanksgiving with Roman and Dean after they chose to stay in town to save money. They had gathered at Hana’s apartment and together cooked a decent meal. The trio had eaten and chatted happily while Argo lay under the table, waiting for falling scraps. If most of those “scraps” fell from Dean’s plate, to his hand, to directly in front of Argo’s face, well, no one pointed that out.      

 

Nick had called Hana only once, two weeks after he left to let her know how sorry she should be, how much she was going to miss him, and that she was worth nothing without him. Dean and Hana had been sitting on the couch playing cards in Roman and Dean’s apartment when Hana’s phone rang. She nearly dropped the hand of cards she had been playing with when she saw the caller’s area code. Hana shot Dean a nervous look, her scrunched-up face telling him exactly who the call was from. She hesitated, trying to decide whether to answer or not.

 

“You don’t owe him. Fuck him.”  

 

“No. But I owe myself.”

 

Hana took a deep breath before she answered the phone. She only let Nick get out a few short sentences before she interrupted him, telling him in no uncertain terms that she was done with him, and to never call her again. Dean sat quietly, listening to Hana stand up for herself and seething at the situation. He also found himself feeling proud of her. She hung up on Nick without further explanation or discussion, letting out a long heavy sigh, breathing out the weight of the exchange. Dean smirked sideways at Hana. When she glanced over at him she cracked a triumphant smile and they both dissolved into tension relieving laughter.   

 

For a full month after Roman and Dean showed up for Hana on one of the worst nights of her life, things were calm. Movie night went on without fail, until the Friday it didn’t.  


	3. Chapter 3

The first Friday of December was unseasonably warm. Hana decided to take an afternoon walk with Argo. They meandered up the streets in town, not in a hurry to get anywhere particular. They had some time to kill before the guys finished work and arrived for movie night. A couple inches of light snow had fallen the night before and Hana let her toes kick up small puffs of snow as she walked. The streets were quiet, as they tended to be in the off season, and Hana was lost in her thoughts as she and Argo approached their apartment. 

 

Still two buildings away from her own, Hana stopped dead in her tracks. There was a truck in her driveway and she definitely recognized it. She swore under her breath and scanned the area, dread welling up in her core. She heard him before she saw him. Nick was yelling and violently banging on her front door with his fist. Even at this distance she could hear him clearly. His words setting her mind into a swirling panic. 

 

“Hana! I know you’re in there! Your car is out front! Open the damn door! You owe me! I drove four hours to get here! Hana, open the goddamn door!”

 

Hana was still frozen on the sidewalk when Argo emitted a low threatening growl, leaning into her leg. His presence brought her mind back into focus and she realized that they had to hide. Thankfully Argo’s growl had been quiet enough so that Nick didn’t hear it, and he still hadn’t seen them. Hana grabbed Argo’s collar and quickly ducked with him behind the neighbor’s car, crouching down next to the driver’s door, imploring Argo to be still. She shushed him soothingly, stroking his hackles back down over his neck and shoulders. 

 

She wasn’t sure what Nick would actually do if he found her and she didn’t want to find out. He was still aggressively yelling at her front door. He had no reason to be at what was now, her apartment. He had taken all of his belongings, they hadn’t spoken except the one time on the phone, and as far as she was concerned they had no unfinished business. Hana may not have known exactly what he wanted but she knew Nick. He thrived on confrontation. Not having someone to take his personal frustrations out on daily must have been making him crazy.  

 

Hana stayed hidden with Argo, contemplating whether she should chance calling the police right then or wait until Nick left. The thought that he might not leave until she showed up was just creeping into her mind when she realized that Nick had stopped yelling. Hana chanced a peek through the front side windows of the car in time to see Nick slam both of his fists into her front door before storming down the steps to his truck. He opened the door to his truck and stopped to look back at the apartment. He angrily mumbled something Hana couldn’t make out before getting in and heaving the door shut behind him with enough force to rattle it on its hinges. He turned the engine and recklessly peeled out of the driveway, too distracted by his own anger to notice Hana and Argo crouching beside the neighbor’s car as he sped away. 

 

Hana let out a breathe she hadn’t realized she was holding and stood up. She felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Mentally berating herself for crying and then for being in this situation at all, she fished her keys out of her pocket. She looked down at Argo who was staring back at her, the fur on the top of his head giving away that the skin underneath was wrinkled in concern. “Good boy,” she praised before walking hurriedly toward her home. Once inside, she locked them in and took out her phone to call the police, but not before she fired off a text to Dean and Roman.   

  
  


Roman was in the storage room of the general store unpacking boxes and stocking shelves like a madman. Deliveries usually didn’t come in so late on a Friday and he was rushing to get all of the shipment invoices in order so movie night didn’t get postponed. Dean was watching the counter, occasionally stocking small things near the register as Roman threw them out to him. There wasn’t much going on and they hadn’t had a customer in over an hour when a truck pulled hastily into one of the parking spots outside the store front. Simultaneously, each of their phones went off with a text alert. Dean heard his phone in his pocket while noting that Roman left his on the shelf under the register.    

 

Dean momentarily considered the truck before he pulled out his phone to see who texted him. He opened it when he saw it was from Hana.

 

_ Nick was here. He didn’t see me. He’s gone now. I’m safe. Calling the police. _

 

Dean’s mouth dropped open and he huffed out a breath before calling back to Roman. “Hey, Big Dog, Hana just texted us!”

 

Before Roman could answer back the front door swung wide open, a gust of cold air plowing through along with a furious looking man. Dean hadn’t ever seen the man before but as he purposely stalked up to the counter he wagered a guess. 

 

“Do you know who I am?” Nick gritted out, eyes full of hostility. Digging his hands into the edge of the counter, he leaned forward toward Dean. Roman materialized at Dean’s side, brought out from the back by the combative man’s voice. He rumbled angrily from somewhere deep in his chest because he absolutely knew who the angry face glaring at his best friend belonged to. Dean took that as the only confirmation he needed to know who was attempting to stare him down.  

 

Without breaking eye contact, leaning forward a little himself, Dean fixed Nick with a look that was a mix of contempt and taunting, his blue eyes blazing. “Yeah. You’re the piece of shit I’m going to climb over this counter and destroy if you don’t get the fuck out of my store.”

 

Satisfied with the fury Dean saw flash across Nick’s face he leaned back against the shelf behind the counter. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and kicked one leg up across the other, resting his foot on his toes. Waiting, he let a smirk creep over his face. He knew the type. Knew that his withdrawal from Nick’s space and his added smugness would only make him more angry, and Dean was itching to get his hands on him. Roman could see it in Dean’s eyes, still an inferno. He moved to place a steadying hand on Dean’s shoulder.  

 

Nick took the bait, not even interested in finding Hana anymore. He smirked back at Dean, a grunting half-laugh escaping him. “I see then she’s fucking you, huh?” He threw a quick glance at Roman, tossing his head sideways in his direction, and added, “She’s been on that one for a while you know?”

 

Dean stood up straight, leveling Nick with a solid hard stare. “Don’t worry about what Hana is doing. Nothing she does concerns you,” he growled, even as Roman’s hand tightened ever so slightly on his shoulder.

“Should have known,” Nick shot back, taking Dean’s response as a dodging admission. His next breath he spits out, “Whore. I swear I should have taught her a lesson before I left.”  

 

Dean surged forward ripping his shoulder out of Roman’s hand. He gripped the counter and before he realized exactly what he was doing he had launched himself over it directly into Nick. Dean fisted a hand into the front of Nick’s shirt and used his arm to shove him back and hold him against the nearest display rack. Dean’s teeth were bared, his breathing hard, temper hardly in control as he stopped his face within inches of Nick’s. For all his rough talk Nick was not an actual fighter, just a punk who was good at riling people up, slinking away before any action went down. His facial expression had gone from repulsive sneer to recoiled fear in the split second it had taken Dean to go over the counter at him. 

 

Dean leaned as close to Nick as possible without touching, his eyes wildly full of menace. “Nothing, nothing she does is any business of yours. You threaten her, you call her, you ever show up at her house again, and I’ll personally see that you never walk away.” Dean dug the hand he has fisted into Nick’s shirt a little harder into the other man’s chest before shoving him away from the rack.

 

Nick stumbled back before regaining his balance. He took the opportunity to glower defiantly at Dean and then at Roman, who had stalked around the counter and squared up beside Dean. The look on Roman’s face said he could commit murder right along with Dean if needed that night so Nick kept quiet. 

 

“Get the fuck out. Don’t come back,” Roman demanded in a deep tone that allowed zero room for argument. Both Dean and Roman followed Nick’s every move as he backed out of the store and threw himself into his truck, slamming the door.

 

Dean finally looked at Roman heaving out a huge breath when the truck pulled out of the lot and onto the main road before moving out of sight. They were both fuming but relieved. Coming down from the adrenalin high, Dean would have laughed at Roman’s flushed face if he wasn’t sure his was just as red. Suddenly Dean remembered who he had been defending in the first place and grabbed his phone, dialing Hana’s number.

 

“Dean,” she answered, “hold on a second.” 

 

He could hear her talking to someone in the background and his heart dropped into his stomach before he heard her say, “Thank you for coming officer, yes, I’ll call if I need anything.” 

 

“Ok, I’m back. You got my text?”

 

“Guess who decided to show up to visit me and Rome?” Dean sounded tired, but there was an edge to his voice Hana didn’t miss. 

 

“No! You’re kidding! Please tell me he didn’t,” she cried in frustration.

 

“Darlin’, I wish I was.” Dean ran his free hand through his hair, shoving it back off his face. “Think we ran him off. It’s time to close up here. We’ll be there in ten.”

 

Roman and Dean quickly closed up the store and drove to Hana’s apartment. Roman knocked on the door and was met with furious barking from inside. Argo had clearly been upset. He usually only barked once or twice when someone knocked. Hana opened the door, asking Argo to back off. Her eyes were puffy and her mouth was drawn into a tight-lipped smile as she greeted them. Tension rolled off her in waves as she led the two men into the living room. 

 

Dean momentarily resisted the urge to sweep Hana into his arms in case it upset her more, but ultimately lost to it. He reached for her and pulled her in close to his chest with one arm. He reached up to cradle the back of her head with his free hand and rested his chin against her hair. Hana gasped in surprise, but allowed herself to melt into Dean, her mind finally going blank. 

 

Roman’s mouth twitched up for a fraction before he turned his attention to Argo. The dog was standing behind Hana, hackles up, frozen in a stiff-legged stance. His tail was held rigidly up over his back. Roman softly called Argo’s name and hummed praises of “good dog” to him. The dog looked up at him with piercing brown eyes. He relaxed at the soothing note of Roman’s voice, tail relaxing and wagging slowly. Roman settled on one end of the couch and Argo moved to lean against his legs. He smoothed the ruffled hair over the dog’s neck and shoulders back into place.

 

Dean settled on the other end of the couch situating Hana in the middle. He still hadn’t fully released her from his embrace. One arm was pulled around her shoulders and she leaned into his upper body. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” Hana mumbled against Dean’s chest, despair seeping out of her. She lifted her head slightly to look him in the eye and saw quiet concern. His expression reiterated on Roman’s face when she twisted a bit to look over her shoulder at him. She could feel the sting of tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, nasal passages burning. “I had no idea he would do something like that.”   

 

“How could y’ know,” Dean replied unwinding his arm from Hana as she sat upright. “Dude’s crazy, doll.”

 

“I was so stupid. How could I have been so stupid?” Hana raised her hands to her face, fully crying, “How could I have let this happen?”

 

Feeling sorrowful, Dean looked over Hana’s head at Roman and saw his friend wasn’t faring much better. The look Roman returned to Dean was full of frustration and grief. Dean swung his body around slowly off the couch to kneel on the floor in front of Hana, gently taking each of her hands in his own. He peered up at her, his bangs partially screening his eyes. 

 

“Hey, hey,” he said as hushed as his gruff voice would allow. His stare was returned by watery green eyes. He shook his head sympathetically. “No. No you don’t do that to y’self. He’s a moron. He’s a little bitch who doesn’t deserve you. Never did.” 

 

Dean heard a quiet grumble from his left. He turned to see Argo looking at him intently. “Or you,” he added directed at the dog, “Mutt.” Argo grumbled again, not crossly before settling back near Roman, content that Hana was safe.   

 

For nearly a week after that evening Roman and Dean didn’t leave Hana by herself when they weren’t at work, particularly at night. Even then they left her promising to keep the doors locked and her phone charged. If one of them wasn’t sleeping on her couch then she was sleeping in one of their beds, while the displaced bed owner crashed on their couch. Argo, without exception, went wherever Hana went. Hana followed up with the police who assured her they had been on the lookout for Nick’s truck, and he hadn’t been spotted since the last Friday night. 

 

Everyone started to relax after a few days but they stuck close anyway. Dean, for all of the distance he was used to keeping between himself and other people, found himself wanting to be close to Hana all the time. He also realized that he had started noticing...things. He noted how Hana’s hair smelled faintly of some type of fruit as she cuddled up to him on the couch while watching television. And that he wasn’t even watching what they had on most of the time, instead savoring the warmth and feel of her body against his. He noticed the way her eyes crinkled and way her smooth lips curved when she smiled. She moved gracefully around the house, even as Argo followed at her heels. He may have even appreciated the curve of her ass once or twice as she walked out of a room.      

 

A week after the incident Dean was leaning on the counter at the general store, thinking, eyes focused on nothing. His chin rested on his palm while his fingers tapped lightly against his jaw in some random pattern. That morning he had noticed more...things. New things? He noticed the way Hana ran her fingertips across his shoulders as she passed him in the kitchen when she came in to get breakfast. The glint in her eyes as she smiled and said “good morning”. The way she had let her hand linger on his arm as she passed by him again on her way out of the room, cereal bowl in her other hand. 

 

“Dean. Dean!” Roman waved his hand in front of his friend’s face, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Where are you man? We’ve been trying to get this stuff stocked all day. I keep losing you to what?”   

 

Dean focused in on Roman, apologetically at first, then scowling as he saw the knowing grin on Roman’s face. “Come on, Ro. You don’t have to torture me if you already know.”

 

“It’s more fun this way,” Roman declared, giving Dean a sly smile followed by a wink. Dean glared back at him. 

 

“Just ask her on a date, uce.”

 

“What if she’s not ready? What if she says no? Yeah, that wouldn’t be awkward at all,” Dean groaned.

 

“Are you basically living with the same woman I have been? Because I don’t think she’s gonna say no.”

 

“I don’t want to hurt her again,” Dean sighed. “She deserves to be happy, and I don’t have much to offer anyway.”

 

“What are you even...Dean, I’ve known her for a while now, and you’ve known her long enough. She doesn’t care about stuff if that’s what you’re talking about. The rest, I’m sure you have covered. You’re a good person. It’s a date, not a marriage proposal. Go for it!”     

  
  


That Friday night the three friends reclaimed movie night. They met at Roman and Dean’s apartment, gathered their snacks, and piled onto the couch. They seemed to take the same formation as of late whenever they were all together. Dean was sitting at one end of the couch with Hana curled up against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Roman was sitting on the other end of the couch. Argo was stuffed between and half on top of Hana and Roman. When the movie ended they all stay cozily in place for a bit, Roman feeding Argo pieces of his leftover popcorn one at a time. 

 

Several minutes of relative silence went by before Hana tilted her head up slightly to look at Dean optimistically. “I was planning to donate some things next Saturday. I’ll have it all packed up in boxes. Would you help me after you get off work? There’s not a lot, but I would like it if you came along. Maybe we can get a snack after?”

 

“Su-Sure,” Dean managed, stumbling a bit with his response. “Yeah, that’d be good.” Hana gave him a sweet smile before laying her head back down.               

 

Dean chanced a glimpse over at Roman to see him barely suppressing a giggle. He fixed Roman with a glare that slowly turned into a wide-eyed helpless grimace, silently begging him to stop. Roman almost imperceptibly shook his head, still stifling a giggle, and offered Argo another piece of popcorn.  


	4. Chapter 4

The Saturday morning before his plans with Hana, Dean nearly drove Roman insane at the general store. He paced like a caged animal, constantly moving, and generally making all sorts of faces. The first morning of the weekend was when everyone in town tended to run their errands and the store was busy. Roman spent more time asking Dean to get out of his way so he could help customers than he had actually spent ringing people up.

 

In a lull just after lunch-time Roman finally had enough. He stepped directly in front of Dean, stopping him with his entire body. He had been pacing back and forth behind the counter near the register again. Dean’s head snapped up, his eyes meeting Roman’s. 

 

“D, you’re gonna wear a trench in the floor-boards. And, it’s making me anxious just watching you.” 

 

“I don’t know if I can do this Rome. I don’t know.”

 

“Do what? This date that’s not a date? She asked you to go help her with some stuff. Just go and have a good time.”

 

“Yeah, that’s where I’m getting hung up. She asked me,” Dean said pointing at his own chest, clearly stressed out, before flinging his hand back away from his body. 

 

“And, that’s a problem why?” Roman raised a brow. 

 

“Because,” Dean said softly, in vast contrast to his previous tone, “I like her and I don’t want to screw this up. I haven’t been on a  _ date _ in a long time.” 

 

“So don’t be a dick,” Roman replied. He draped one arm around Dean’s shoulders in a momentary half-hug before walking to the register as the store entrance bell rang.  

 

Dean stopped pacing, felt less frantic, but still figetted the rest of the afternoon as he worked. He pretended to be annoyed every time he caught Roman smirking at him, but was thankful for his friend’s support. It was true he hadn’t been on a date in a long time. He wasn’t sure he actually had ever been on a real date. Bringing girls home from the bar was surely not dating, even if they came back again.

 

Roman sent Dean off a little early, sure Mr. Foley wouldn’t mind when he was calculating out payroll. He could close up the store himself. Besides, he was exhausted from dealing with an anxious Dean all day. 

 

Dean walked the several minutes home from the store, pulling the winter air deeply into his lungs. On his way he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and texted Hana.

 

_ On my way home. Have to shower. What time do you want to meet? _

 

Only a minute later his phone pinged letting him know her response.

 

_ About an hour? Pick me up? _

 

_ See you then _

 

An hour later Dean pulled his car into Hana’s driveway. As he got out and closed the door he heard Argo bark a couple of times from inside the apartment. Dusk had settled, and it was definitely December in the mountains, but it wasn’t as cold as it could have been this time of year. Dean never minded the cold anyway. He was about to knock on the door when Hana answered, clearly allerted to his arrival by Argo’s barking. She opened the door smiling, the light from inside illuminating her figure in the doorway. She was wearing slim jeans, white Chuck Taylors, and a soft-looking teal sweater that played up the green of her eyes. She tugged Dean inside by one arm and gestured around the living room. 

 

“What do you think?” she asked, referring to the Christmas decorations she had put up that afternoon. “I didn’t want to get too crazy.” There was a small tree on a table in the corner, sparkling garland over the doorway, and two stockings hung up on a shelf. Each stocking was emblazoned with a glitter name, one for Hana and one for Argo. 

 

“’s nice,” Dean said, as he smiled fully, dimples showing. He reached down to ruffle Argo’s head as he sauntered over to stand next to Dean’s side in greeting. “Mutt’s got his own stocking.”

 

Dean helped Hana bring a few boxes out to his car. They chatted easily as they packed the boxes into the back seat and waited for Argo to sniff around the yard for a few minutes before locking him safely back inside. Dean felt himself relaxing, wondering what he had been worried about in the first place. They drove about 30 minutes, needing to take the highway to get to the nearest donation center. Hana had to use the GPS on her phone to find it, but it also brought them to a plaza neither had been to, with a fast food joint they’ve never heard of. 

 

“They have to have fries,” Dean mentioned. 

 

“And milkshakes,” Hana added. 

 

Ten minutes later they were parked in a corner of the parking lot behind the restaurant, each with an order of fries and a milkshake. Dean tried to park close to a lamp so they could see their snacks in the dark. The boxes for donation could wait. Dean reached under the driver’s seat and pulled the lever to shove his seat back. He gave himself enough room to stretch his legs out a bit and eat his fries. Hana decided to lay the back of the passenger seat down and she turned to sit sideways, cross-legged, her back against the door. She shed her coat, not needing it in the car. Dean left the car running for heat, and they cracked the windows for safety. 

 

“So what are you donating anyway?” Dean asked he causally lifted the cover off his milkshake. Hana watched as he dipped some of his fries in mint chocolate chip milkshake and shoved them into his mouth before they dripped on his pants. 

 

“Just some...clothes...things…” Hana observed Dean’s face for any negative reaction to what he just ate. She hesitated, trepidation in her voice, “Is - is that, good?” 

 

Dean suddenly realized she was watching him eat. Feeling self-conscious he turned to look at her, seeing the question still lingering on her face. His eyes went wide as they sat silently staring at each other. The fingers of the hand he had not been eating with tapped lightly at the bottom edge of the steering wheel. He was about to consider apologizing for being a heathen when a curious look appeared on her face. Removing the cover from her own cup in the center console, Hana dipped a fry in her cookie dough milkshake. She placed it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds. 

 

“You’ve been holding out on me!” she accused him, laughing breathily at Dean’s surprised expression. “This is amazing!”

 

“Gotta broaden your horizons, doll!” he threw back at her, dimples present. He moved to place his cup back in the holder and ended up accidently spilling milkshake on his car seat. “Of course,” he groused, dimples disappearing. 

 

“Not to worry,” Hana said putting her fries on the dash before leaning into the back seat. She flipped a cover open on one of the boxes and motioned to Dean. “There should be a towel right on top.”

 

Dean reached over his seat to grab the Christmas patterned towel out the box. He pulled smoothly but it caught on a smaller box inside and a glass ornament rolled out and cracked on the floor. “M’ sorry,” he sighed, wondering what else he can screw up this night.  

 

“Don’t be,” Hana dismissed with a relaxed wave of her hand, and referring to the box of ornaments, “I never liked those things. They weren’t my pick, like so many other things. They’re in the donation box for a reason.”

 

Dean turned the engine off and got out of the car. He opened the back door and used the roof light to pick the broken ornament pieces off the floor. Thankfully it hadn’t shattered completely and the large bits were easy to find. Hana followed him out of the car to open the box in the back seat, checking if any other ornaments had been displaced. They were intact. All two dozen of them. Dean was heading toward the nearest dumpster behind the restaurant and Hana was compelled to follow with the box of ornaments. 

 

When Hana was about 10 steps from the dumpster Dean shoved the side door open and dropped the broken glass in. The sound it made falling and coming to rest in the mostly empty garbage bin was so satisfying to Hana. She made a small sound to stop Dean from closing the door again suddenly overcome with the urge to hurl a bauble from it’s safe box. She motioned for Dean to step away before she took a fragile ornament into her hand. She palmed it, feeling the round shape, seeing the glitter sparkle in the limited light of the parking lot. Overcome, she lobbed the ball through the open dumpster door, and was rewarded with the satisfying sound of it smashing against the inside wall. She could hear the pieces tinkling down to rest on the bottom of the metal box. 

 

Holding the box aloft on one hand she offered it up to Dean. The inquiring expression on his face turned to delight as he grabbed an ornament and heaved it into the dumpster. It shattered gratifyingly. 

 

Hana took another ornament in hand and declared, “To riddance of old, unwanted things!” Then she threw it into the dumpster, again reveling in the sound of it smashing. 

 

“T’ laundry!” Dean exclaimed, sending a ball crashing into the trash.

 

“Laundry!?” Hana dissolved into laughter. 

 

“I hate doing the laundry, ok?”

 

“Fine. Fine. To washing the dishes!” Hana screeched gleefully, pitching yet another ornament into the metal bin. 

 

“T’ stocking shelves!” Another ball burst.

 

“To homeless pets!” The sound of shattering glass filled the air.

 

“T’ winter heating bills!” Dean shivered a bit, but the smash of the ornament and Hana’s laughter helped him not really feel the cold.

 

“To Christmas alone!” Hana’s voice wavered just a little as she heaved the breakable orb.

 

Dean had his arm pulled back to launch another ball, but he stopped mid-throw. He turned to Hana, a look of bewilderment on his face. “No reason you should be alone.”

 

“I can’t afford to go home. I don’t even really want to,” she confessed faintly, looking at the ground. The sadness on her face didn’t sit right with Dean. It was all wrong on her. 

 

Dean moved to stand in front of Hana, and her gaze shifted up. He was inches away, his head tilted down, his sandy hair fringing over his downcast eyes. He shuffled his feet a bit on the gritty pavement as his tongue darted out briefly against his bottom lip. She was suddenly aware of every tiny noise. Every breath in and out, every bit of gravel under Dean’s shoes as he fidgeted, and the sound of a hard swallow were all deafeningly loud in her ears. 

 

Dean tentatively, a bit awkwardly, placed his hands over the caps of Hana’s shoulders. Her sweater felt as soft under his hands as it had looked in her apartment light. He turned his eyes up and they caught her’s as they focused on each other questioningly. Hana couldn’t look away. She was frozen and falling into those clear eyes, full of so many casts of blue she had never noticed before. She noticed something else. Hope? Was that hope?

 

Dean broke the silence with a soft appeal. “With me, maybe?” 

 

“You’ll be alone?” She protested inwardly when Dean looked away, but at least he didn’t move, his hands still hovering carefully over her shoulders.

 

“Roman and I aren’t going home either. Flights are too expensive. Gas is expensive,” Dean explained. “Ro was saying we should have a Christmas Eve party.”

 

“A party,” Hana said dumbly, inwardly deprecating herself for her ineptness. “That - that would be good. I can help. None of us are alone then.”

 

“Y’ think either of us would have let you be alone? On Christmas? Bring Argo. He can party too. Dog’s a badass.” 

 

Dean breaks out a genuine smile again and Hana can’t help but smile back. It felt natural to move closer to him, more into his space. Besides, she’s cold, she told herself. She brought her hands up under Deans unzipped leather jacket and wrapped her arms around his waist. Pressing her upper body into his she feels how warm he is. He feels so comfortable under her hands, like her palms belong where they fall on his lower back. She let her head fall forward, her forehead pressing lightly into his chest, her nose brushing against his soft hoodie.

 

Dean shifted in Hana’s hold but didn’t make any move to pull away. Slowly, experimentally he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and feeling her shiver in the cold snuggled her closer to him. He had hugged her so many times over the past months but this is different. It felt vulnerable in a way he had not experienced in a long time. 

 

Hana was distinctly aware of the rise and fall of Dean’s chest, where her face was cuddled into. His shirt smelled like laundry soap, but it also smelled like him. She could also faintly scent the leather jacket he was wearing. She cautiously pulled her head back to look up at Dean, and he shifted his head down to look back. He let his eyes fall on her, unsure, like he wasn’t supposed to feel this good with her wrapped up in his arms. Like if he looked her in the eye whatever spell this was would be broken.

 

Hana stared intently up at Dean, suddenly feeling the desire to kiss him. Realizing she was moments away from doing so, panic set in to her chest. She could feel her chest tightening, finding it harder to breathe. She broke the eye contact they had. Dean felt her body tense in his arms, her muscles quivering, and he let her go. He backed away a step. Hana hesitated knowing that he was looking at her concernedly. 

 

“I, um - I’m - I gotta,” she managed to get out before she tore herself away, walking back to the car and getting inside.

 

Dean walked back to the car, stopping to lean against the back of it for a moment. He rubbed his face roughly with his hands and whispered, “Fuck.” 

 

After composing himself, Dean got into the driver’s seat of the car and turned on the engine. He put the hot air blowers on high. At least he could get them warm another way. 

 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just…” Hana started.

 

“No,” Dean replied somberly, glancing briefly over at her.

 

“I wanted to. I really wanted to kiss you just then, but…” she continued, sounding upset at the thought of disappointing him. 

 

Dean’s head snapped to the side to meet her, the serious expression on his face stopping Hana from continuing further. “Darlin’, you don’t have t’ explain. Ever. Not t’ me. Not t’ anyone.”  

 

“I’m an idiot,” she sighed. “Could I be any more awkward and weird!?”

 

“Nope,” Dean popped out. He reconsidered momentarily. “Well, you could be me. Then all bets are off. You have no idea how weird it can get in here,” he said playfully, tapping a finger to the side of his head.

 

Hana laughed a bit, shaking her head. “So, Christmas party. Yes, that sounds like a great idea.” There was a short lull before she continued, “Maybe we could try that kiss again sometime.”

 

Dean sputtered and let out a half-cough. A sly smile played across his face before he nodded at Hana, then turned to shift the car into drive.       


	5. Chapter 5

Dean and Hana managed to get through the next couple of weeks without any weirdness. They were just comfortable with one another in everyday situations. Movie nights continued, they had other plans with Roman, and Dean frequently met Hana after work to walk Argo.   

 

Dean had filled Roman in on what happened in the restaurant parking lot on that Saturday night, but he mercifully spared Dean any teasing and additional anxiety. That is until the day Hana spent hours at their apartment decorating for the Christmas Eve party while the boys were at work. Roman’s shift had ended earlier than Dean’s and so he had arrived home shortly before Hana left. Roman surveyed the apartment noting the detail Hana had put into winding lights through the garland over the doors and around the perimeter of the ceiling. She had meticulously decorated the Christmas tree she had begged them to haul in, and topped it off with a gold star. Various other small decorations graced the walls and other available space. A stack of festive plates sat on the kitchen table, ready to be loaded up with party food.  

 

“This place looks great,” he commented. “Way better than Dean and I would have done on our own.”

 

“Thanks, Ro.” Hana beamed. Argo wagged his tail next to her. Roman reached his hand out in invitation for Argo to get some scratches. 

 

He was rubbing over Argo’s ribs when he noticed a decorative ball hanging in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. It looked to be made of tightly packed fabricated evergreen and holly sprigs, with some red berries mixed in, and a white bow on top. “What’s that?” Roman directed at Hana, nodding upward.   

 

“That is a kissing ball. Like, instead of mistletoe. My grandmother hand-made it for me years ago. Maybe someone will get lucky at the party.” She winked at Roman before gathering Argo and her belongings. “Five days to go until party time!”  

  
  


When Dean finally dragged himself through the door after his shift Roman was lounging in the living room watching football. He looked up from the game and caught Dean’s eye. “Hey, you know what that is?” he asked Dean, pointing up at the decorative ball in the center of the doorframe. 

 

“What?” Dean followed the direction of Roman’s finger, squinting a little at the decorative ball. “Looks like a bit of festive decor to me Rome. You uh, ok?” He glanced around at the rest of the house, and moved to stand behind the couch. It looked nice. 

 

“I’m fine,” Roman replied, matter of factly, “but since Hana hung that thing there, and explained to me that it is a kissing ball, which she put in  _ our _ apartment,” he paused, delighted by the look of understanding spreading across Dean’s face, “I’m guessing  _ you _ are now not _ fine _ .”

 

Dean leaned against the back of the couch near where Roman was sitting. He slouched a bit and let out a long sigh, leaving his mouth to hang open halfway. “If that fancy  _ thing _ ,” he gestured wildly at the ball, “if it actually works, I’ll be  _ fine _ .”

 

Roman fell silent and went back to watching the game, satisfied that he had gotten enough of a loving jab in. Dean glared at the ball for a few long seconds before stalking off to take a shower. 

  
  


In the bathroom, Dean turned the water on and stripped while it warmed up. As his shirt caught slightly over his head his mind went back to what Hana had said to him in the car. 

 

_ Maybe we could try that kiss again sometime.  _

 

“Fuck,” Dean muttered under his breath getting into the shower. The water poured over his head and down over his shoulders. “Damn right, maybe sometime,” he almost vowed. 

 

His mind drifted back to the night of their date, that wasn’t officially a date, and the way she felt cuddled against his chest. Her sweater so soft under his hands, her eyes looking up into his a mix of yearning and sweetness. As the hot water ran down his back and chest he thought about the apology she tried to give him, and how he insisted she not, the protectiveness he felt for her sparking under his skin. The purity of it all made his mind want to muddy it up. He didn’t get soft, sweet things. He didn’t think he’d ever had a good girl in his arms, that he could remember, nevermind in his bed. And woah, there it is. 

 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought of it before. He had, just in more hazy terms. Acknowledging it was something he wanted, that she was what he wanted, as a hint of a thought floating around in the back of his mind was different than the freight train now accelerating straight at him. 

 

His mind again roamed back to that sweater. He envisioned himself grabbing the bottom hem and running his hands up over Hana’s body to slip it off over her head. He’d seen enough of her body in tightly fit active wear to imagine what’s underneath. A thought about how lucky Roman was to have spent the summer working next to her all day slides in, but he shoves it away as quickly as it intrudes. Dean’s hand slipped down to his cock, half hard, the warm water running down his arm. Closing his eyes, he stroked it a few times, his image of Hana’s naked body wrapping itself around him in his mind. A few more long rough strokes and he was at full hardness. 

 

It was his fantasy, so Dean envisioned her in the shower with him. Her blond hair soaked down, her back pinned against the warm wall, steam enveloping them. He had her hands in one of his, over her head, his other hand between her legs teased up to her silken folds. She writhed in bliss as he dipped a finger in her, crooking it before pulling out. She made glorious little nondescript noises as he plunged two fingers deep into her. Her face bestowing him the absolute gift of her pleasure. 

 

That was what did it. The idea of her under his hands, reveling in ecstasy sent Dean over the edge. He came with ragged breaths, biting into one fist to keep from making much noise. His hand slowed down, and finally rested, as his vision faded back to the shower he was alone in.  

“‘M in trouble,” he mumbled to himself, rubbing at his eyes with the fist he has just been biting. Not that it mattered because he was never one to run from trouble. 

 

He quickly washed himself up, finishing the actual task he had intended after a long day. He had been in the shower longer than necessary. No doubt Roman would know why but he couldn’t bring himself to care at that moment. Not that Roman would ever comment on that anyway.      

  
  
  


 

Christmas Eve arrived quickly. The five days since Hana had decorated had gone by fast as she, Roman, and Dean had prepared for the party. There were snacks everywhere. Nearly every available surface in the kitchen was host to a platter of food, ranging from pizza pinwheels to brownies. The one small section of counter that was devoid of food was serving as the bar where a variety of liquors and mixers were colorfully represented. A small sign next to the liquor informed guests “Beer in the fridge!”

 

Hana had run home to shower and change just before the party began. She and the guys had been cooking and baking all day and she was covered in flour. She also needed to gather Argo as she left him at home so he would be out of the way while they prepared. She dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a festive top that dipped just low enough to show a hint of cleavage. As she was slipping on a pair of black heeled boots she remembered that she had bought Argo a new collar from a specialty shop in town. She clipped the collar, dark blue with embroidered silver reindeer, around his neck. She grabbed her keys and they headed out.    

 

Arriving back at Roman and Dean’s apartment, Hana was pleased to see several cars parked out front. They had invited all of their coworkers from the Hardy’s who had stayed to brave the mountain winter, a coworker from the general store, and some new acquaintances from around town. The guests were encouraged to bring guests so they really had no idea how many people to expect, but they had enough food to feed the small army that had arrived and anyone else who wandered in over the course of the evening. 

 

Hana opened the apartment door, a small rush of cold air blowing in before she shut it behind Argo. Dean noticed her arrival and rushed over to greet her. He had been with her all day but something about the party excited him more than usual. He was more excited than he had been for a holiday in general for quite some time. Dean helped Hana out of her coat after she unzipped it, and took her hat. 

 

He paused, briefly looking her up and down not even caring about being obvious, before saying appraisingly, “Nice outfit.” She granted him a pleased smile. “Stuff ev’ry where,” he started. “I’ll just put this, um...away.” Dean took her belongings off to his bedroom. Because really, where else would he have put them? As he took off Hana caught two of her acquaintances from yoga class, sitting nearby, barely stifling a giggle at their interaction.

 

Hana rolled her eyes and shook her head at them, her smile breaking into a barely stifled giggle of her own. She looked down at Argo proudly dapper in his new collar. His head was up, ears perked, taking in the sights of the party. His calm demeanor highlighting the gentleman he was. Only his wagging tail gave away that he was really an excited pup about to get so many belly rubs and morsels. “Well buddy, you look ready to mingle.” 

 

Everyone seemed to enjoy the party. The landlord didn’t even care about the mix of Christmas and rock music loudly broadcasting from the stereo because he was too busy chatting with the rest of the guests and nursing one of several beers. The food was steadily disappearing as was the alcohol.

 

Dean stood behind Hana as she casually leaned back against him, talking to some of their coworkers from the Hardy’s park when he noticed she had finished her drink. He leaned down a bit, close to her ear, so he could ask without raising his voice, “Want me t’ get you something?”  He touched a finger to her glass. 

 

“Sure. Thanks.”

 

“What was it?”

 

“Eh, surprise me with something new,” she encouraged. “Please.”

 

Dean walked into the kitchen, where he found Roman scanning the room for a snack. Argo was on his heels, waiting for a share, a big dog-grin showing off his teeth. Roman took a pizza pinwheel and ripped it in half. He ate one half and fed the second to Argo after he offered a polite “sit” in front of the large man. “How’s it going?” Roman directed at Dean. 

 

“Good. Just came to get Hana a drink.”

 

“Ahhh,” Roman drew out knowingly. Dean scrunched his face up at Roman in mock distaste before turning his attention back to the liquor bottles. Roman cleared his throat to get Dean’s attention again. When he had it he tipped his head up toward the festively decorated ball of evergreens hanging in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. 

 

“Fuck, Roman, give it a rest,” Dean scowled, again deceivingly . “”m workin’ on it.” Half of Roman’s mouth turned up, amused at Dean’s reaction. He wrestled another beer out of the container in the fridge, and patted Dean’s shoulder on his way by to go join in a conversation somewhere.        

 

Dean mixed up a hot chocolate packet with water from a kettle on the stove, and added in peppermint vodka. The mug was warming as he made his way to the living room and back to Hana. He carefully placed it in her hands, ready to take it back if it was too hot. She thanked him and wrapped her hands around it, appreciating the warmth. 

 

Around eleven pm the guests started to slowly depart, so that by a quarter to midnight everyone was gone except Roman, Dean, Hana, and Argo. Hana was helping Dean put things away in the kitchen when she realized she hadn’t seen Argo in a while. She went to the kitchen doorway and checked around the living room, seeing that Argo was laying on the floor in front of the couch. Roman was passed out on the couch, limbs everywhere, quietly snoring. She moved across the room and shut off the lamp, the only light now coming in from the kitchen. 

 

As Hana walked back across the living room Dean appeared in the doorway to lean against the frame. “‘s he out?” 

 

“Totally out, even with all of the noise we were just making cleaning up in there. Someone had fun,” she grinned.

 

Dean reached for Hana’s hand, barely gripping. “Did you have fun?”

 

“Mm hmm,” she responded gripping back at his hand just as carefully. 

 

Dean peered at Hana, half illuminated by the light from the kitchen. She heard him swallow, and saw indecision on his face before he turned away. He definitely had something on his mind but he didn’t seem like he was about to say what it was. 

 

Dean wasn’t sure how long they stood there next to each other. What he was sure of was that Hana must have heard his heart pounding in his chest if the volume of it in his ears was any indication. Unsure of what was throwing him off he finally managed to turn back to her. She was gazing at him, green eyes questioning. He swallowed again before tilting his head up toward the kissing ball, then back down at her. She looked up flittingly. 

 

Her sharp intake of breath at his gesture and the way her eyes darkened shook loose any misgivings Dean had. He reached out, placing a hand on each of her cheeks, and kissed her chastely on the lips. Her lips were soft, her body relaxed, and she pressed back. He moved in again, pressing his lips fully against hers, feeling them part a fraction. His hands slid off her face and down around her back as he pulled her close to him. He paused to gauge her comfort, moving his head back just enough to see clearly. She was the picture of anticipation, leaning into him, her tongue flashing out over her lips.    


	6. Chapter 6

With his arms wrapped around her tightly, Dean again pressed his mouth to Hana’s. His lips moved against her’s eagerly, and when her mouth parted again he licked into it. She ran her tongue along his, softly moaning into the kiss. Dean traced her bottom lip with his tongue, tasting the subtle lingering peppermint from the drink he had made her.   

 

He interrupted the kiss, barely a sliver of room between their faces, still two concerns on his mind. “How ‘r ya feelin’?”

 

“Dean,” Hana whispered, “I really wish you’d continue.”  

 

That was one question answered.

 

“Look, I’m a little buzzed, nothin’ serious,” he started. “You?”

 

“I’m fine,” she answered. “Last drink I had was the one you made me.”

 

“Ok,” he breathed, second concern taken care of. Dean closed the space between them kindling another deep kiss. When he paused again he released her and took a step back. Hana was about to protest until he motioned down the hall toward his room.

 

_Oh._

 

She nodded at him affirmatively. Dean looked a mix of relieved and eager as he took her hand and led her down the hall. Entering his room he pulled her behind him and shut the door. A flick of the switch near the door turned the nightstand lamp on, emitting a warm glow. He spun Hana around and put her back against the wall, his arms on either side of her, still allowing her plenty of wiggle room. His eyes searched hers for any sign of discomfort. “Y’ sure?”

 

She stared back at him, completely sure. “Please.”   

 

Hana’s confident, needy answer sent a surge of excitement into Dean’s chest. He pinned her bodily against the wall behind her. His hands grasped at her hips pulling her into him, even as he pushed against her. Their mouths clashed feverishly, tongues darting in and out, swiping along each other’s lips.

 

Hana crushed her body back against Dean’s. All the want she had been denying herself since running away from a single kiss converged at the forefront of her mind. And it settled deep in her belly, a wildfire threatening to rush out of control. The hands he had on her hips abruptly gripped a bit tighter as Dean bit into her bottom lip, drawing a small whine out of Hana. The noise she made, coupled with his increasing desire to have her clothes off made Dean stop grasping at her momentarily. He pulled his own shirt off over his head and threw it across the room somewhere. Hana made another small noise, disappointed to be released, only to be met with the glorious sight of Dean, shirtless. She absorbed the vision of lean muscle shamelessly until he moved aside to pull her down onto his bed.

 

One of Dean’s hands made sure her head didn’t hit hard while he used the other to catch himself as he rolled onto the bed with her. Hana giggled slightly at the impact, and Dean took a moment to appreciate the display. Hair spread out around her face, body warm and arching toward him, an expression of bliss on her face - she looked effervescent. And delicious. Yeah, he liked that part the best. She looked fucking delicious, good enough to eat, and oh he planned on doing that, as soon as he got all of these damned clothes off.

 

Dean ducked his head down to kiss and suck mildy at her neck. He was rewarded by moans of pleasure from Hana as she reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair. With both hands in his hair she tightened her fingers experimentally. Dean groaned against the skin on her neck then closed his teeth down on her flesh. Releasing her skin from his bite he licked the reddened spot soothingly before rocking back up onto his knees. He smoothed her shirt up to her chest and she lifted her arms to shed it off over her head. Discarding her shirt over the side of the bed Dean admired the bra she had obviously chosen for such an event. It was intricately patterned red and green holly lace, with black trim.

 

“Cheerful.” He nodded approvingly, eyebrows raised.

 

“It’s a holiday, Dean,” Hana all but purred at him.

 

“That it fucking is, darlin’! The uh, rest of this get-up, match?”

 

“You should probably find out.”

 

Dean didn’t need any further encouragement. He made swift work of the button on her jeans and had them off and on the floor next to her shirt in no time. The racy bottoms did match the bra, but Dean was very much no longer focused on them. He groaned, throwing himself down on the bed to nestle his upper body between her thighs. He planted several small kisses to the inside of them before turning to nibbling his way up to her mound. She gasped as she felt the heat of his breath against her through the delicate fabric. Her hands twisted in the blankets when he finally lowered his mouth there pressing open mouthed wet kisses against lace. The desire to taste her had him hooking one finger under the panties, and yanking them aside, he ran his tongue flat up against her. She gasped at the contact as he ran his tongue over her again, the sensation cultivating a promising thrum in her core.

 

Wanting to see all of her, Dean propped himself up a little and grasped the fine waistband in his teeth, pulling down. With the help of a free hand he wriggled the lingerie free of her legs. He looked up from discarding the panties to see that Hana had at some point shed her bra. Dean exhaled reverently before sinking down again, throwing her knees over his shoulders. He licked hotly over her pussy, his mouth just south of frenzied. He reveled in her taste as he dipped his tongue inside her and she writhed with every stroke.

 

“Yes, ah, oh - that’s...” her words failed to moaning, lost in the moment of euphoria. She was lost so thoroughly to sensation as it was that when Dean smoothly thrust a finger into her wetness she nearly rolled over, only her knees over his shoulders stopping her. She all but sobbed his named, begging him not to stop. He eased another finger in next to the first and stroked her spot repeatedly. Moving his mouth to her clit, his lips closed around her, gently sucking while still flicking his tongue.

 

“Dean, oh my god,” she murmured. “Dean, I’m gonna come...” she once again trailed off. He continued, determined not to stop before her thigh muscles quaked over his shoulders. Only a few seconds later she cried out with pleasure, making a half-hearted attempt to not fully scream. Ecstasy washed over her body in waves as her release saw her whole body quivering under his ministrations.

 

Satisfied that he had followed through far enough, Dean carefully lifted her still shivering legs off his shoulders. His blue eyes beamed at her, while her eyes remained half-lidded still coming down from her release. Dean moved up her body, stalling briefly to press kisses to her breasts and circle her firm nipples with his tongue, until they were again face to face. Hana craned her head up to kiss his mouth again, brushing her tongue against his. She reached up between them and palmed his already hard cock through his pants. She unfastened the button and slid the zipper down freeing him.

 

“Should have guessed. Not boxers. Not briefs.”

 

He grunted affably, rolling his eyes, before shifting his weight to shove down and kick off his pants. “No wasted time,” was his response as he ran his hand down to his cock, pulling precum up over it and lining himself up to her. Dean slid his hand back down to her pussy, the wetness coating his fingers. Every emotion on Hana’s face clearly encouraging him to move forward. Satisfied with the situation he steadily drove his cock into her tightness. When finally he was buried to the hilt their concurrent gasps of intoxication flooded his mind. He stayed motionless commiting the sensation to memory.

 

It was Hana who broke through his sensory blockade. “Dean, please,” she pleaded, pushing her hips up into him. He groaned, pulling out and thrusting back in. He drew a hand up the back of her thigh to her knee, pushing her leg up, giving him a better angle. Erratic and slow thrusts gave way to a steady exerting rhythm as he plunged into her over and over. Their sounds of gratification mingled in the space between them.

 

“Harder,” Hana heard herself urge, not really even conscious of the fact, just knowing.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mmm.”

 

Dean came to a full stop. He pulled out and flipped her over. He lifted her off the bed onto her hands and knees. Situating himself, one hand on her hip and the other under her belly, he drove back into her. He settled into an arduous pace as his hips snapped against her ass times over. Hana grabbed for a pillow, squeezing the compressible material into her hands, while also giving herself something to muffle her screams. He maintained that pace until her screams became breathless gasps and he was nearly out of breath as well.

 

Inhaling deeply to get air into his lungs Dean slowed to a stop. Still buried inside her, he kept one hand on her belly as he leaned forward over Hana’s back and folded an arm around her chest. He carefully pulled her up and back against his body, leaning his head forward to press his cheek to hers. Her skin felt pleasantly heated against his own everywhere they touched. Compelled by the fact that Hana seemed to have mostly caught her breathe and that his body was demanding his own release, Dean began to grind his cock into her again. She responded to each roll of his hips with a backward corresponding roll of her own. It wasn’t long before he was doing more observing than moving.

 

The tension in Dean’s body built as he watched Hana push back on him, could see himself sliding in and out of her heat. She constricted her muscles around him, tiny noises of concentration and satisfaction resounding in his head. Dean’s vision started to go blank.

 

“Fuck. Fuck yes, baby. Tha’s so good. ‘m close, so close.”

 

A few more circles of her hips and Dean hastily pulled out. The hand he had wrapped around Hana’s chest flew to his dick to stroke out the cum that landed thickly on the small of her back and dripped down her backside. She leaned up and back against him spreading the stickiness between their bodies. Both of his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tight to him, not caring about the mess. He buried his face in her hair and moaned, exhaustedly.

 

“We uh, have t’ do somethin’ about, all of...this,” Dean said finally with a vague motion of his hand.

 

“Like sleep,” Hana turned her head to smile innocently at him. She kissed his cheek right before he released her from his grip.

 

“Gross, doll. Stay put.” He scrunched his face at her in mock disgust before getting up to look around his room. Shrugging he grabbed the t shirt he had tossed on the floor earlier. He wiped them both relatively clean and tossed the t shirt back on the floor. Sleep dragged at them both as he threw himself down onto his bed, hauling Hana with him. He reached over and flicked the lamp off, barely visible light coming in from the night outside the window. They snuggled into Dean’s bed, limbs entwined, both of them happy and safe.   

 

“Hana?” Dean’s voice broke the serene silence, a throaty rumble in the dark.

 

“Yes?” Hana squeaked out, her voice shot from their previous activities.

 

“Merry Christmas.”

 

She sighed contentedly snuggling closer into his chest. “Merry Christmas, Dean.”

  


 

Roman woke to the feeble morning light of Christmas day filtering into the living room. He grumbled as he realized he was on the couch and began stretching out his stiff joints. He didn’t even remember falling asleep there. As he put a foot down to the floor he touched something fuzzy and started a little. Argo jumped up from the floor and regarded Roman. The dog stretched down into a bow, yawning widely.  

 

It dawned on Roman that if Argo had stayed the night then Hana must have too. She would have never left him behind. He peeked over the top of the couch but couldn’t tell if anyone was in the kitchen. Rolling off the couch he stretched his arms luxuriously up over his head, brushing the ceiling.

 

“Hungry?” he directed toward Argo as he entered the kitchen, finding it empty. Argo’s ears perked up and his eyes brightened as Roman’s hand reached for the refrigerator door. Opening it he saw that they had plenty of eggs. He could easily whip up omelets for a Christmas breakfast. He scuffed out of the kitchen to the hall, Argo now at his side. The bathroom door was open and the room was dark, which meant Hana was only one of two places, and Roman wasn’t about to bother to see if she was in his room. He stopped in front of Dean’s bedroom door and knocked.  

 

“What?” Dean rasped from inside.

 

“Hey, it’s me,” Roman replied, loud enough to be heard through the door.

 

“Open the door, man. Why‘re ya standin’ in the hall yellin’ like a freak at some ridiculous hour of the morning.” Dean’s answer sounded cross but had no real edge to it.

 

Roman opened the door. Dean and Hana were indeed both in Dean’s bed. Hana had the blankets pulled up to her eyes, sheepishly peering at Roman. Dean looked ruffled, one eye on Roman, the other still mostly squinting closed at the light. They both looked sleep heavy and must have just woken up.

 

“Just wanted to wish you Merry Christmas,” he announced, barely able to avoid letting a chuckle slip, “and see if you wanted breakfast.”

 

As Roman finished talking Argo wedged himself between the man’s leg and the partially opened door. He stretched his neck out in Hana’s direction, moving a step into the room before halting next to Roman’s knee. He eyed the humans in the bed, an air of judgement about him.

 

“So, is this a thing now?” Roman inquired as Hana sunk further under the covers and Dean reached down, feeling around to grab something to throw at him. Satisfied that he had harassed them almost enough Roman looked down at Argo. Argo’s expression changed as he looked to Roman. His eyes brightened and his mouth parted into a happy expression as if he was in on some big joke.       

             

“Come on Argo, looks like it’s just the big dogs for breakfast this morning.”


	7. Epilogue

“C’mere,” he requested, beckoning with one hand in a lazy motion, almost too messy to be readable. Hana knelt onto the bed and began crawling her way up toward the headboard along Dean’s outstretched legs. His mouth ticked up on the sides in the beginnings of a tiny smile as he watched her. The urge to stretch saw his face scrunch up as he arched his shoulders against the bed, trying to loosen the muscles in his back.

 

The day had been long and physical. They had met up with Roman early that morning and drove an hour north to a mountain face where the three of them had spent the whole day rock climbing. The sun had burned off the Spring chill of the morning and the weather had been perfect for challenging physical activity. By the time Dean and Hana dropped Roman off and drove to her apartment they were both exhausted.

 

As Hana neared Dean’s waist he abruptly stopped mid-stretch to grasp her by the shoulders and drag her willingly up his body. “Not fast enough,” he mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her upper back, crushing her into his chest.

 

“And here I thought you were just so, so tired,” she teased quietly as he started softly kissing where her jaw met her neck. His grip eased up enough to allow Hana to get her hands on either side of his head and push up slightly. “Dean, I know I already said it on the ride home, and when we got home, but, ahhh...” her voice stalled as he leaned up and gently bit into her neck, giving way to a contented wavering sigh. He stopped to pull back and look at her, head slightly cocked to one side, facial expression clearly chastising her for interrupting his affections.

 

Hana looked down at Dean, scrunching her face up at the feigned incredulous look he was giving her. “Really, this is important. Thank you for spending your day off scaling rock walls and scrambling boulders with me. You have really - six months ago I never thought I would be this happy.”

 

Dean gazed back at her, his facial expression shifting from incredulity to a genuine sweet smile. It had been a crazy ride since he had rolled off the couch at Roman’s request to go help his friend. Hana let herself sink into those blue eyes, reveling in the soft look she got to see far too infrequently. She was lulled into relaxing just a fraction, a small smile starting to creep its way onto her face.

 

Suddenly Dean surged up, wholly flipping Hana over and pinning her bodily underneath him. His smile went from sweet to self-satisfied as he heard her gasp. He propped himself up on his elbows before he slowly kissed and nipped from her collarbone up her neck. She moaned softly and pressed up against his chest, her fingers gripping onto his biceps. He briefly allowed himself the luxury of burying his face in her soft blonde hair. “You’re welcome,” he whispered, his voice harsh with want, before raising his head up and catching her mouth in a heated kiss. Pausing, he quietly murmured against her lips, “Y’okay?” He felt her mouth curve into a tiny smile as she made a soft affirmative noise. At that, he nipped her bottom lip before hastily crashing into her again. She parted her lips and licked at his, inviting his tongue to taste her mouth.

 

Hana’s body was still pressed to the bed by Dean’s hips and legs. Her upper half caged in by his muscular arms. Perfect. She wasn’t going anywhere anyway. Neither was he if she had any say in it.

 

Hana grabbed Dean’s bottom lip in her teeth biting down just hard enough to get a groan out of him before she released him. She sucked his lip into her mouth softly in an unnecessary apology as Dean let his right hand roam to her side, softly squeezing the flesh there. He ran his hand up to her breast to run his thumb over her nipple through her shirt. She moaned eagerly into his mouth as he instigated and deepened a kiss. The heat and increasing urgency of his mouth sent a thrill down her core, and it settled deep in her stomach as his movements became less calculated. Their tongues alternated between clashing and chasing one another.

 

Somehow Dean’s hands were everywhere: in her hair, on her face, grazing her neck, palming her breasts. On one pass of his hand over her head Hana broke their kiss and pushed her face sideways into his hand, biting at the flesh of his palm. She shot him a sideways glance, a slight grin playing on her lips. He grabbed her hair and tilted her head to the side. Dean sucked and bit at her neck as she moaned softly, his name ghosting off her lips.

 

Hana realized rather abruptly that he was attempting to take the lead, which normally she would be more than happy to let him have, but not tonight. Tonight she felt powerful and brave, and it was partly Dean’s doing, so why should she not take advantage of that? She wriggled underneath him, shifting to roll her hips up against him in the confined position. She could feel his length, already hard against her, through his pants. He stopped kissing her neck and shifted his gaze to meet hers. His eyes widened as she rolled up against him again and he recognized that she was staring at him, her bottom lip between her teeth, with sure defiance and intent. Oh, two could definitely play at this.


End file.
